• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.63-77
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• 1988

This study was carried out to investigate relationships between maximal running time (MRT) and glycogen supercompensation in fast twitch white fibers (white vastus, WV), fast twitch red fibers (red vastus, RV) and slow twitch red fibers (soleus muscle, SM) of endurance-trained rats. Male rats of a Sprague-Dawley strain were divided into the trained groups and untrained groups. Untrained groups were acquired to run on the treadmill 10 minutes for 3 days and remained rest and maintained with mixed diet for 4 weeks. For last 10 days of resting period, the untrained rats were divided into 3 groups i.e. mixed diet (untrained control), high and low carbohydrate (CHO) diet groups. And each group was subdivided into 2 groups, one group was tested for the MRT and the other was sacrificed to measure the blood glucose, blood lactate, glycogen contents of liver and muscles. The experimental groups were trained on treadmill by a modified method of Constable et al. (1984) maintained with mixed diet for 4 weeks. After measurement of MRT of this group, they were also divided into high and low CHO groups and fed with these diet for 2 days and MRT of each group was measured again to see the effect of high or low CHO feeding on the MRT. Each group was maintained with the same diet for next 2 days during which some of the rats were sacrificed at given time intervals for the measurements of blood glucose and lactate, liver and the muscles glycogen. The results were summarized as follows; 1) In the untrained group, there were no significant differences between subgroups in MRT, glycogen conent of SM, RV and WV. But blood glucose concentration and glycogen content of liver of low CHO group were significantly lower than those of mixed diet group. 2) The MRT and glycogen content of SM, RV and WV of trained mixed diet group were significantly increased compared to those of untrained mixed diet group, but there was no significant difference in glycogen content of liver. 3) MRT of trained mixed, high CHO and low CHO groups were $137{\pm}9.8,\;176{\pm}9.8\;and\;129{\pm}7.3\;min$ respectively with the significant difference between them. 4) There were no differences in blood lactate concentrations between the trained high and low CHO groups immediately after maximal running and during recovery period. 5) Glycogen contents in RV and SM of trained high CHO group were significantly increased, and glycogen contents in RV, WV and liver of trained low CHO group were significantly decreased compared to those of trained mixed diet group. 6) Immediately after maximal running, the blood glucose concentrations of trained high CHO and low CHO groups were $73{\pm}4.0\;and\;67{\pm}6.9mg%$ respecitively. The blood glucose of the trained high CHO group was fully recovered within one hour by feeding. But blood glucose concentration of low CHO group was slowly recovered up to $114{\pm}4.1mg%$ after two hours of feeding and maintained. Those values were still significantly lower than that of trained mixed diet group. The synthetic rates of glycogen in liver and muscles during the recovery period followed the similar time course of the blood glucose recoveries in each group. These results suggest that an increase in MRT of trained high CHO group was attributed to the glycogen supercompensation in slow twitch muscle fibers. And a decrease in MRT of trained low CHO may be due to decreased glycogen contents of liver and muscles. The results also suggest that glycogen supercompensation was more evident in slow twitch red fibers of endurance-trained rats and blood glucose is one of the limiting factors of glycogen synthesis.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.125-133
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to compare EMG activities on the lower limb muscles during power walking and mormal walking. Seventeen subjects who have no known musculoskeletal disorders performed walking exercise at a cadence of 140 beats/min. After surface electrodes were attached to rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior, medial gastrocnemius, averageed IEMG and peak IEMG, were measured. The result showed that the power walking did influence the averaged IEMG and peak IEMG. The EMG activity of the quadriceps during power walking was significantly higher than the corresponding values in normal walking during most phases. The averaged IEMG and peak IEMG of gastrocnemius muscles at the end of the double limb stance increased significantly when going from normal walking to power walking. The results indicate that power walking had greater effect on EMG activities on the lower limb muscles and demonstrate that the wide range of benefits can be obtained from power walking in respect to health and fitness. This study suggests that power walking has the potential to improve aerobic fitness and assist in weight management.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2016

Objective: This study aimed to compare biomechanical data between elite and beginner cyclists during cycle pedaling by performing a comparative analysis and to provide quantitative data for both pedaling performance enhancement and injury prevention. Methods: The subjects of this study included 5 elite cyclists (age: $18{\pm}0years$, body mass: $64.8{\pm}9.52kg$, height: $173.0{\pm}4.80cm$) and 5 amateur cyclists (age: $20{\pm}0years$, mass: $66.6{\pm}2.36kg$, height: $175.6{\pm}1.95cm$). The subjects pedaled on a stationary bicycle mounted on rollers of the same gear (front: 50 T and rear: 17 T = 2.94) and cadence of 90. The saddle height was adjusted to fit the body of each subject, and all the subjects wore shoes with cleats. In order to obtain kinematic data, 4 cameras (GR-HD1KR, JVC, Japan) were installed and set at 60 frames/sec. An electromyography (EMG) system (Telemyo 2400T, Noraxon, USA) was used to measure muscle activation. Eight sets of data from both the left and right lower extremities were obtained from 4 muscles (vastus medialis oblique [VMO], vastus lateralis oblique [VLO], and semitendinosus [Semitend], and lateral gastrocnemius [Gastro]) bilaterally by using a sampling frequency of 1,500 Hz. Five sets of events ($0^{\circ}$, $90^{\circ}$, $180^{\circ}$, $270^{\circ}$, and $360^{\circ}$) and 4 phases (P1, P2, P3, and P4) were set up for the data analysis. Imaging data were analyzed for kinematic factors by using the Kwon3D XP computer software (Visol, Korea). MyoResearch XP Master Edition (Noraxon) was used for filtering and processing EMG signals. Results: The angular velocity at $360^{\circ}$ from the feet was higher in the amateur cyclists, but accelerations at $90^{\circ}$ and $180^{\circ}$ were higher in the elite cyclists. The amateur cyclists had greater joint angles at $270^{\circ}$ from the ankle and wider knee joint distance at $0^{\circ}$, $180^{\circ}$, and $360^{\circ}$ than the elite cyclists. The EMG measurements showed significant differences between P2 and P4 from both the right VLO and Semitend. Conclusion: This study showed that lower body movements appeared to be different according to the level of cycle pedaling experience. This finding may be used to improve pedaling performance and prevent injuries among cyclists.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.57-64
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• 2021

Background: During squat exercises, Ankle joint stability during squat movement transfers forces produced by unstable supports or various loads to the leg joints and trunk, reducing the risk of injury; therefore, a reference is needed for correct ankle joint posture during squat exercises. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of ankle joint stability on quadriceps femoris and hamstring activation during squat exercises. Design: Quasi-experiment one group pretest-posttest design. Methods: The participants in this study were 20 volunteers who performed squat exercises with and without kinesiology tape. We measured quadriceps femoris and hamstring activation using surface electromyography. The ankle joint was stabilized with kinesiology tape using the ankle balance taping (ABT) method. A paired t-test was performed to compare differences between taping conditions. Results: Vastus medialis and vastus lateralis activation were greater following squat exercises with kinesiology tape than without; however, the difference was not significant. Medial and lateral hamstring activation was not significantly different between taping conditions. Conclusion: Although it is difficult to maintain stability using kinesiology tape alone, ankle joint stability is believed to affect quadriceps femoris muscle activity, which increases the effectiveness of the squat exercise.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2022

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect Tiger-step walking on the movement of the lower extremities during walking. Method: Twenty healthy male adults who had no experience of musculoskeletal injuries on lower extremities in the last six months (age: 26.85 ± 3.28 yrs, height: 174.6 ± 3.72 cm, weight: 73.65 ± 7.48 kg) participated in this study. In this study, 7-segments whole-body model (pelvis, both side of thigh, shank and foot) was used and 29 reflective markers and cluster were attached to the body to identify the segments during the gait. A 3-dimensional motion analysis with 8 infrared cameras and 7 channeled EMG was performed to find the effect of tigerstep on uphill walking. To verify the tigerstep effect, a one-way ANOVA with a repeated measure was used and the statistical significance level was set at α=.05. Results: Firstly, Both Tiger-steps showed a significant increase in stance time and stride length compared with normal walking (p<.05), while both Tiger-steps shown significantly reduced cadence compared to normal walking (p<.05). Secondly, both Tiger-steps revealed significantly increased in hip and ankle joint range of motion compared with normal walking at all planes (p<.05). On the other hand, both Tiger-steps showed significantly increased knee joint range of motion compared with normal walking at the frontal and transverse planes (p<.05). Lastly, Gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, medial gastrocnemius, tibialis anterior of both tiger-step revealed significantly increased muscle activation compared with normal walking in gait cycle and stance phase (p<.05). On the other hand, in swing phase, the muscle activity of the vastus medialis, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior of both tiger-step significantly increased compared with those of normal walking (p <.05). Conclusion: As a result of this study, Tiger step revealed increased in 3d range of motion of lower extremity joints as well as the muscle activities associated with range of motion. These findings were evaluated as an increase in stride length, which is essential for efficient walking. Therefore, the finding of this study prove the effectiveness of the tiger step when walking uphill, and it is thought that it will help develop a more efficient tiger step in the future, which has not been scientifically proven.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.103-111
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• 2015

Objective : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect for running shoes with resilience of midsole on biomechanical properties. Methods : 10 healthy males who had no history of injury in the lower extremity with an average age of 26.5 year(SD=1.84), height of 172.22 cm(SD=4.44) and weight of 67.51 kg(SD=6.17) participated in this study. All subjects ran on the treadmill wearing three different running shoes. Foot pressure data was collected using Pedar-X system(Novel Gmbh, Germany) operating at 100 Hz. Surface EMG signals for biceps femoris, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, medial lateralis, tibialis anterior, medial gastrocnemius, soleus and peroneus longus were acquired at 1000 Hz using Bignoli 8 System(Delsys Inc., USA). To normalize the difference of the magnitude of muscle contractions, it was expressed as a percentage relative to the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). The impact resilience of the midsole data was collected using Fastcam SA5 system(Photron Inc., USA). Collected data was analyzed using One-way ANOVA in order to investigate the effects of each running shoes. Results : TPU midsole was significantly wider in contact area than EVA, TPE midsole in midfoot and higher in EMG activity than EVA midsole at biceps femoris. TPE midsole was significantly wider in contact area than EVA midsole in rearfoot and higher in peak pressure than EVA midsole in forefoot. EVA midsole was significantly higher in EMG activity than TPU midsole at tibia anterior. In medial resilience of midsoles, TPE midsole was significantly higher than EVA, TPU midsole. Conclusion : TPU midsole can reduce the load on the midfoot effectively and activate tibialis anterior, biceps femoris to give help to running.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.671-681
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• 2011

Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare the workload level at each lower limbs posture and suggest the ergonomic workstation guideline for working period by evaluating the imbalanced lower limbs postures from the physiological and psychophysical points of view. Background: Many workers like welders are working in various imbalanced lower limbs postures either due to the narrow working conditions or other environmental conditions. Method: Ten male subjects participated in this experiment. Subjects were asked to maintain 3 different lower limbs postures(standing, squatting and bending) with 3 different working conditions(balanced floor with no scaffold, imbalanced floor with 10cm height of scaffold, and imbalanced floor with 20cm height of scaffold). EMG data for the 4 muscle groups(Retus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Tibialis Anterior, Gastrocnemius) from each lower limbs posture were collected for 20 seconds every 2 minutes during the 8 minutes sustaining task. Subjects were also asked to report their discomfort ratings of body parts such as waist, upper legs, lower legs, and ankle. Results: The ANOVA results showed that the EMG root mean square(RMS) values and the discomfort ratings(CR-10 Rating Scale) were significantly affected by lower limbs postures and working time(p<0.05). The correlation was analyzed between the EMG data and the discomfort ratings. Also, prediction models for the discomfort rating for each posture were developed using physical condition, working time, and scaffold height. Conclusion: We strongly recommend that one should not work more than 6 minutes in a standing or squatting postures and should not work more than 4 minutes in a bending posture. Application: The results of this study could be used to design and assess working environments and methods. Furthermore, these results could be used to suggest ergonomic guidelines for the lower limbs postures such as squatting and bending in the working fields in order to prevent fatigue and pain in the lower limbs body.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.235-239
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the unstable plate system for the advanced balance ability. 7 male volunteers (age $33.7{\pm}1.2$ years, height $174.7{\pm}3.8cm$, weight $86.0{\pm}3.6kg$, BMI $28.2{\pm}2.0kg/m^2$) performed the partial squat motion on the shape of CAP type(${\cap}$) and BOWL type(${\cup}$) plate system. The range of motion (ROM) and muscle activation were acquired by the motion analysis system and the EMG system. Results of ROMs of the CAP type plate system were shown the widely range of the deviation in the ankle joint on the sagittal plane (sagittal plane - hip joint $10.7^{\circ}$ > $5.4^{\circ}$, knee joint $16.3^{\circ}$ > $6.4^{\circ}$, ankle joint $18.8^{\circ}$ > $6.3^{\circ}$ ; transverse plane - hip joint $3.5^{\circ}$ > $1.8^{\circ}$, knee joint $5.3^{\circ}$ > $3.4^{\circ}$, ankle joint $11.3^{\circ}$ > $5.3^{\circ}$ ; frontal plane - hip joint $0.9^{\circ}$ > $0.5^{\circ}$, knee joint $0.8^{\circ}$ > $0.6^{\circ}$, ankle joint $4.8^{\circ}$ > $3.7^{\circ}$). Muscle activation results of the CAP type plate system were indicated higher in major muscles for balance performance than the BOWL type plate system (vastus lateralis 0.90 > 0.62, peroneus longus 0.49 > 0.21, biceps femoris 0.38 > 0.14, gastrocnemius 0.11 > 0.05). These findings may indicate that the CAP type plate system would expect better effectiveness in perform the balance training. This paper is primary study for developing balance skills enhancement training device.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.129-136
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• 2000

Background and Purpose: This study was undertaken to compare the sensitivity of the Repetitive Nerve Stimulation Test (RNST) between the upper and lower extremity muscles in myasthenia gravis(MG) patients. Material and Methods: The study population consisted of 20 normal persons(control group) and 10 MG patients(MG group). Using Stalberg's method. RNST was systemically performed in orbicularis oculi muscle. upper extremity muscles(flexor carpi ulnaris. abductor digiti quinti), and lower extremity muscles(tibialis anterior. extensor digitorum brevis. vastus medialis). Results: There were statistical differences of decremental response($mean{\pm}SD$) in orbicularis oculi and upper extremity muscles between the control and MG groups(p<0.05 or p<0.01). However, there was no statistical difference of decremental response($mean{\pm}SD$) to RNST in lower extremity muscles between the control and MG groups. There were highersensitivity in orbicularis oculi and upper extremity muscles than lower extremity muscles. Although positive reponse were detected in the lower extremity muscles, the positive response rates of lower extremity muscles were lower than o.oculi and upper extremity muscles. Conclusions: When the response rates of RNST in facial and upper extremity muscles are normal, may not be required RNST in lower extremity muscles.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.138-143
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• 2008

A study was conducted to evaluate nutritional value for twenty-one pork muscles. Ten market-weight crossbred pigs (five gilts and five barrows) were used for evaluating proximate chemical composition, cholesterol, total iron, calorie and fatty acid contents. As preliminary analysis revealed no noticeable sex effect, pooled data from both sexes were used for the final analysis. M. rectus femoris had the highest moisture content, while m. latissimus dorsi was lowest in moisture content (p<0.05). Protein content was highest for m. longissimus dorsi and lowest for m. supraspinatus (p<0.05). The tensor fasciae and latissimus dorsi muscles contained the highest intramuscular fat (p<0.05), while rectus femoris, adductor and vastus lateralis were lowest in intramuscular fat content. When simple correlations between chemical values were computed for the pooled dataset from all muscles, intramuscular fat had significant (p<0.05) negative linear relationships with moisture (r = -0.85) and protein (r = -0.51) contents. Calorie levels were not significantly affected by fat content, while rectus femoris and latissimus dorsi muscles showed lowest and highest calorie contents, respectively (p<0.05). Polyunsaturated fatty acid content was highest (p<0.05) for both m. adductor and m. rectus femoris, while it was lowest for m. longissimus dorsi. Collectively, the current study identified a large amount of variation in nutritional characteristics between pork muscles, and the data can be used for the development of muscle-specific strategies to improve eating quality of meats and meat products.